1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for a reclining chair, and more particularly, to such a system that is substantially bounce free and adjustable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many systems for reclining chairs have been developed in the past. Their purpose is to provide extra-comfort, involving diverse reclining mechanisms, which make events, such as watching movies, a more enjoyable experience. These reclining mechanisms may be classified in two types: “Rockers” (those that involve simultaneous reclining of the backrest and seat assemblies) and “loungers” (those which only recline the backrest), according to industry terms and definitions. In general, they allow a user to lean backwards as he or she sits in, and recuperate their original (upright) position when he or she leans forward and/or stand up. Available cinema “rocker” or “lounger” chairs in the art, however, involve reclining actions that are either bouncy, “springy”, hard to—effortlessly—operate or do not provide a stable and comfortable position to the user.
On the other hand, mainstream cinema “rockers” and “loungers”, that include a backrest, cushions and stanchions upon which the first two are mounted, come totally disassembled (stanchions, cushions backrests and rocking mechanisms are typically shipped individually). Installers must assemble the cushions, backrests and rocking mechanisms on the stanchions, on site, involving multiple manipulations, fastening and subassembly operations.
Also, so called cinema “rockers” and “loungers” have setup limitations with respect to the relative position of the chair vis-à-vis the movie screen or similar structure. Modern theaters feature high slope settings. This means that the chairs for the spectators on the first row and the ones on the last row of the room require different inclination angles, to optimize their visual line to the screen. Mainstream cinema chairs (including “rockers” and “loungers”) allow for adjustment of the backrests, but the seats cannot be adjusted in the same fashion. At best, this adjustment is undertaken in a separate operation, keeping in mind that the relative angle between the backrest and seat needs to stay the same to provide an appropriate and comfortable posture to the user (if only the backrest is adjusted, this angle changes).
None of the existing chairs in the prior art, however, include an adjustable plate assembly to regulate the inclination angle of the seat and backrest simultaneously, and a supporting plate that holds the backrest and seat together to simplify installation and maintenance. Additionally, a volumetrically efficient rocker strut assembly with bounce-free characteristics is claimed herein. The resulting chair guarantees an effortless reclining action for the user, ease of installation and maintenance and better comfort configuration conforming to the theater's slope configuration.
Applicant believes that one related reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,846 issued to Finney et al. on Aug. 20, 1991 for a rocker chair. Finney's patented invention includes a rocking chair with a standard on each side for supporting the chair. A contoured spring guide is attached to each standard that provides a support and deflection profile for leaf springs held in trolleys on each side of the chair. A wing plate extends upwardly from each trolley and terminates in a guide surface. A guide roller is mounted near the top of each standard and provides lateral and longitudinal support for the guide surface the wing plate on each side of the chair. A chair seat is mounted on each trolley and a chair back is mounted between each wing plate. The chair seat and chair back move in unison in a rocking manner as the leaf springs increase and decrease contact along the surface of each spring guide. However, it differs from the present invention because: A) the reclining/rocking effect is attained by a leaf spring instead of the novel strut assembly of the present invention, B) design, manufacture and relative disposition of the fixed and moving elements that allow the rocking effect are different as the figures and descriptions in the present document and these shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,846, and C) the patented chair includes a standard architecture, with the seat and backrest as separate subassemblies, requiring additional installation time.
Applicant believes that another related reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,128 issued to Smith et al. on Feb. 22, 1994 for reclining theater seating. Smith's patented invention includes backrest and seat mounted upon spaced-apart wings having a substantially inverted, truncated, right triangular shape. The wings are respectively pivotally mounted to the inner sides of a pair of spaced-apart stanchions such that in the upright position of the chair the axis upon which the seat is mounted to the wings is located close to and substantially directly vertically above the axis upon which the wings are pivotally mounted to the respective stanchions. However, it differs from the present invention because: A) the reclining/rocking effect is implemented with a spring instead of a strut assembly as in the present invention, B) design, manufacture and relative disposition of the fixed and moving elements that allow the rocking effect are different as the figures and descriptions in the present document and the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,128 show, and C) the patented chair includes a standard architecture with the seat and backrest as separate subassemblies.
None of them, however, includes an adjustable plate assembly, a supporting plate and rocker strut assembly with the characteristics claimed herein. The result is a substantially bounce free adjustable reclining chair that has a pre-assembled configuration.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.